10th Anniversary Readings For Al-Mutanabbi Street

Next month will mark the tenth anniversary of the bombing of Baghdad’s al-Mutanabbi Street, the city’s historic bookselling corridor. The “Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here” movement has organized more than 30 readings on or about March 5, 2017:

When Beau Beausoleil, a Bay Area bookseller and poet, heard about the 2007 bombing that killed at least 30 and wounded many more, including many book-street regulars, he felt the connection immediately and viscerally.

Soon after, the “Mutanabbi Street Starts Here” movement was born: a movement of poets, booksellers, book artists, translators, academics, and readers. It has spawned a collection of poetry and prose of the same name, as well as traveling exhibitions of letterpress broadsides, prints, and other works.

The readings this year, he said, are as always a moment of solidarity with Iraqi people and their artists and writers, reminding us of what they face. “But I also see them now as a moment of solidarity for members of this project,” Beausoleil said, “where we can take stock of our own strength as writers and artists in the face of our own homegrown incipient fascism. Al-Mutanabbi Street holds the values of this project: free speech, the free exchange of ideas, and the equality that poetry, writing, and art inherently promise.”

How long can we remember?

“Personal memory reminds us of who we are and what we have experienced, cultural memory reminds us of who we are collectively and that memory goes back generation after generation until one reaches the creation stories,” Beausoleil said. “Memory is a comfort and a burden, a way to be both inside and outside your body at the same time.”

The current list of readings:

1. In San Francisco, California On March 4th – The Poet Tamsin Smith will Coordinate a Reading with Poets and Writers at her home.

2. In New Haven, Connecticut On March 4th – The Activist/Writer And Art Critic Stephen Kobasa will Coordinate a Reading at 12:30 at the Institute Library.

9. In Tucson, Arizona on March 5th – The Artist/Educator/Filmmaker/Curator Ozlem Ozgur Will Coordinate A Reading

10. In Berlin, Germany on March 5th – The Printer/Educator/Activist Andrew Morrison Will Coordinate A Reading With Students From The U.K.

11. In Newcastle, U.K. on March 5th – The Artist/Activist Theresa Easton Will Coordinate A Reading

12. In Dearborn, Michigan on March 5th – At The Arab American National Museum (In Their Library) Coordinated by the Poet/Activists Dunya Mikhail and Alise Alousi

13. In Baghdad, Iraq on March 5th – At the historic Shabandar Cafe on al-Mutanabbi street – Coordinated by the poet/activist Amal Al-Jubouri and her Soutuna project

14. In Dubai, U.A.E. at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature on the 5th of March – Coordinated by Hend Saeed the Arabic program organizer for the festival; ArabLit’s M. Lynx Qualey will give the introduction. This reading will be in Arabic and English.

15. In Washington D.C. to be broadcast on March 5th -Our good friends at EPIC will devote a podcast in their IRAQ MATTERS series that focuses on the 10th anniversary of the bombing of al-Mutanabbi Street. Mark Seamen of EPIC will coordinate this reading of poets and writers.

16. In Vancouver, Canada on March 5th – A reading coordinated by the Journalist/Author Hadani Ditmars.

17. in Berkeley, California on March 8th. A reading at Moe’s Books coordinated by the writer/activist Summer Brenner and the poet/writer/activist Owen Hill.

18. In San Francisco, California on March 5th. A reading at The Great Overland Book Company from 3:30 – 5pm, coordinated by the poet/activist Beau Beausoleil and the educator/artist/activist Andrea Hassiba

19, In Palo Alto, California on March 5th. A reading (and possibly a project related workshop) at Cubberly Studios from 4-6 p.m. Coordinated by the artists/activists Nanette Wylde, Servane Briand and Paloma Lucas

20. In Milwaukie, Oregon on March 4th. A reading at the Pond House at 2:00 PM, sponsored by the Milwaukie Poetry Series of the Ledding Library, Coordinated by Baher Butti and Muwafaq Qatan

21. In Portland, Oregon on March 5th – A reading at the Central Library (downtown Portland) at 2:00 PM followed by an Iraqi commemorative celebration sponsored by the Iraqi Society of Oregon and the Iraqi Student Club at Portland State University. Coordinated by Baher Butti and Muwafaq Qatan

22 In Los Angeles, California, on March 5th Coordinated by The Markaz Arts Center for the Greater Middle East a reading with 10 poets and writers at Chevalier’s Books, 120 North Larchmont Blvd, The program is cosponsored by the Los Angeles Review of Books.

23. In Oakland, California, on March 23rd – A reading at the Octopus Literary Salon, at 2101 Webster Street (at 22nd St.) at 7pm. Coordinated by the writer/activist Joe Lamb

24. In Paris, France, on March 5th – A reading organized by the academic/activist Adina Rulu. The location to be announced in the next few weeks.

25. In Santa Fe, New Mexico on March 31st – A public performance of a musical piece, Words in the Wind (for al-Mutanabbi Street) composed by the musician/composer/academic/activist Melanie Monsour. The location will be at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, O’Shaughnessy Performance space in Benildus Hall.

26. In Fairfax, Virginia on February 7th – A reading for al-Mutanabbi Street at the Fenwick Gallery, part of the Fenwick Library at George Mason University. Coordinated by Nahid and Nasrin Navab as part of their gallery exhibit, Flying Words.

27. In San Francisco on March 6th- A reading for al-Mutanabbi Street at Bird & Beckett Bookstore, 7-9pm. Coordinated by Eric Whittington, bookstore owner and activist.

28. In Venice, Italy, a reading at Scuola Internazionale di Grafica Venezia, coordinated by Roberta Feoli Artist/Activist and Printshop and studio manager at Scuola. (date to be announced soon)

29. In Brattleboro, Vermont, on March 3rd, a reading at Everyone’s Books, 25 Elliot Street, coordinated by the activist Kate Casa

30. In Waitsfield, Vermont, a reading on March 5th at “a big family house” coordinated by the artist/activist Cecilia Bucca
31. In Buffalo, New York, a reading on March 15th at Talking Leaves Books, starting at 7pm – coordinated by the artist/activist Donna Stepien

32. In Warren, Michigan, a reading on Friday, February 24th, 7PM at Ryan Palace, 4300 E. 14 Mile Road (Warren Michigan) presented by The Mesopotamian Forum for Art and Culture. This reading will be entirely in Arabic

33. In Boston, Massachusetts, at Artheads Studio,, 29 Leicester St., Brighton Center, a reading for al-Mutanabbi Street on March 5th, 3 till 5pm as part of the “Art for a Change” art and activism project – This reading coordinated by the artist/educator/activist Ronni Komarow

34. In Boise, Idaho, at Boise State University Student Union, a collaboration between the University Art Curator and local arts and poetry organizations, will host a reading and digital exhibition in solidarity with al-Mutanabbi Street on March 6th, 7-9 PM.

35. In Amherst, Massachusetts, at Hampshire College, a reading on March 6th, starting at 4pm in the Hampshire library gallery, coordinated by Bonnie Vigeland and Jennifer King, both librarians at Hampshire College.

36. In London, a reading on Friday, March 24th, 5pm-7pm at SOAS, University of London presented by The SOAS University of London, Iraqi Society. This reading will involve the use of Arabic and English readings

As Marilyn notest he reading in Paris will indeed be at the Libre Ere bookshop (our second year there) on March 18th.

And one reading has moved from Waitsfield, Vermont, to Essex Junction, Vermont, a reading on March 5th at 131 Towers Road, starting at 2pm coordinated by the artist/activist Cecilia Bucca

Many thanks Marcia for following up on this list that holds more readings for al-Mutanabbi Street then we have ever had. Your continued support means much to me and every poet, writer, and artist in our project.

It’s so refreshing to see this brilliant project flourishing! A celebration of books, and of reading communities across the world. Ours is indeed a global culture and no walls or visa programs will stand in its way.